I Became the Childhood Friend of the Northern Duchess – Chapter 160

After their somewhat chaotic but quite satisfying journey, the group went their separate ways.

Silvia followed Hagel to greet his parents, and the Hespania party also returned to where they had been.

When the two returned to the castle, Yulken and Helene, who had set off on their own journey, were already back.

The four of them gathered together, exchanging pleasantries and catching up on their travels.

As expected, the main topic of interest was the events that took place in the Imperial Palace.

“Wow, I didn’t expect that… It seems they granted quite a significant reward,” Yulken said, stroking his chin in surprise upon hearing that Edgar’s name had been inscribed on the Hero Stone.

Given that he had maintained a relatively close relationship with the Emperor in his youth, Yulken had anticipated a significant reward, but this surpassed his expectations.

“It seems engraving a name on the Hero Stone is quite an honor,” he continued.

“Indeed. Of course, the merit is enormous, but it’s typically an award given to those who have served their country loyally.”

Yulken smiled as if the honor was his own.

Though he had also had his name inscribed on the Hero Stone, he had many more opportunities compared to Edgar, who had achieved this solely on his name’s merit.

With this, any rumors suggesting he was an unsuitable person for the Robeheim Family would undoubtedly die down quickly.

Anyone who dared voice such nonsense in Yulken’s presence or let it slip into rumors would surely face consequences.

“It would have been nice to drop by Ardeinum to share this happy news. I’m sure Katria would have been thrilled,” Yulken lamented.

“I told him that too, but he stubbornly refused,” Helene interjected.

Ariel shot Edgar a disapproving look as if she were voicing Helene’s frustrations.

Just like mother, like daughter, Ariel had similar sentiments and had suggested they stop by Ardeinum on their way back, but Edgar had rejected that idea outright.

“I just recently took on the Head of the Family position, so I need to focus on internal matters for now… sigh.”

“That’s always how you think, my dear. While Edgar’s reasoning isn’t wrong, you should let it go, my daughter.”

Helene attempted to mediate between the two, as neither was actually upset with the other.

From the past, Edgar had always put a priority on Ariel, even when they weren’t a couple.

In a way, Helene felt a sense of pride seeing his unchanged nature.

As time passed and comfort grew, it was easy to neglect such considerations, but she felt she had chosen her son-in-law well.

“I’m not saying anything bad; it’s just that he only thinks about himself too much,” Ariel retorted.

“Oh my, are you boasting about how well you guys get along? Your mom and dad can still keep up!”

Here, Helene’s experience shone through.

Typically, if one sided with either party, the other might feel upset or sulky. Instead, she smoothly changed the subject, teasing Ariel.

And it seemed effective, as Ariel quickly turned red and squeaked out a protest.

“W-wait, um, no, mother!”

“You can still call me mom if you want. This mom doesn’t want to see my daughter overworking herself, you know?”

“I’m not overworking! I’m not a kid anymore!”

Ariel, who could never win against Helene, found herself at her mercy once more today.

Meanwhile, on the other side, a serious conversation continued among the men.

“Hmm, Bertus Marquis… it’s been a while since I’ve heard that name,” Yulken murmured as he took a sip of the warm mulled wine, responding to Edgar’s questions about Albrecht.

“It seems you’ve met him?”

“Given our positions, it’s hard to avoid meeting each other. You’d know that well.”

“I figured as much. If it’s not too rude to ask, can you share what kind of person he is?”

Yulken was known for judging character accurately.

He could distinguish between good and evil, but more importantly, he could gauge a person’s nature or intentions through their words and actions.

Edgar was aware of this quality and sought Yulken’s insight on the man named Albrecht Bertus, hoping to hear a favorable review.

“Describing him… is quite the tough question.”

But with that, Yulken struggled to find his words, leading Edgar to suspect that his meetings with Albrecht had been limited.

“Is it because you haven’t met him often?”

“No, that’s not it. Sometimes, it’s those you’ve only met a handful of times who stick more clearly in your memory. Though, I suppose thorough knowledge of a person’s true nature is important.”

In short, the number of encounters or bonds wasn’t everything.

Perhaps due to Yulken’s experience in battle, he tended to read people well, even upon first meeting.

The issue was that Albrecht Bertus was someone who was so vague that even Yulken found it challenging to judge his character.

“I think I’ve met him three or maybe four times. That much, but we’ve had some substantial conversations. He was quite the unusual guy.”

“What do you mean by unusual?”

Unusual could be interpreted in a good way or a bad way.

In fact, Edgar could describe Albrecht as “unusual” based on his impressions alone, so he wanted to hear Yulken elaborate.

“He was a man who seemed to possess both madness and emptiness at the same time. I doubt I’ll see someone like him again in my lifetime.”

“Madness… you say?”

Edgar found it hard to easily relate to that description.

However, he found a notable agreement with the term “emptiness.”

He had previously described Albrecht to Ariel as someone who seemed to lack a heart.

“I apologize for not being helpful. Anyway, just take it to mean he’s someone who’s hard to define.”

“It’s alright. It was quite helpful.”

“I’m glad to hear that… But may I ask why you are so curious about him?”

Edgar wrestled with whether to share this or keep silent.

His connection with Ariel was built on trust, and since they were in a romantic relationship, he felt he could speak more freely with her. However, with Yulken, the relationship felt a bit more distant.

Moreover, Albrecht Bertus, on the surface, was a man of high status as a Marquis.

He wondered if it was wise to express a negative opinion about someone of such standing.

But with Yulken’s steady gaze upon him, Edgar ultimately decided to voice his experiences at the Imperial Palace honestly.

That look was similar to how Ariel looked at him.

“Actually…”

As Edgar began explaining the chain of events, Helene, who had been chatting with Ariel, also turned to listen quietly.

It was truly unusual.

She had watched him grow from birth and had never seen him speak poorly about anyone.

In other words, it showed how strongly he felt about Albrecht Bertus.

“… If you’re saying that, it must be quite peculiar. But I have an even stronger sense of strangeness regarding something else.”

“What’s that?”

Edgar asked, wondering if there was some part he had failed to recognize.

Yulken’s answer surprised him.

“It’s that the Marquis Bertus was at the Imperial Palace that day. And that he even expressed a sense of familiarity with you. All those points seem very strange.”

“Now that you mention it, Silvia did mention that he was quite a heavyset man.”

When Edgar first heard that, he considered it a mere whim, but seeing Yulken’s seriousness made him realize it wasn’t something to overlook.

“It’s not just any kind of weight. Moreover, he’s not someone who carelessly shows interest in others. I can assure you of that.”

“So… you mean even in front of you?”

“Well, I do get along somewhat closely with His Majesty, but otherwise it’s usually hard to even initiate a conversation.”

Edgar found it strange that even someone as influential as Yulken had never spoken to him first, reminding him just how peculiar the situation was.

This was a man notorious for being heavy and unmovable by design, who had arrived at the Imperial Palace on the day Edgar was invited by the Emperor and then proceeded to show interest in him first.

Even if the Emperor had arranged for his arrival, the ensuing events felt very out of place.

“Moreover, that man is famously known for avoiding bothersome matters. He didn’t even show his face when His Majesty’s birthday came around.”

“Indeed… there are many strange things about this.”

Edgar realized that he needed to adjust his earlier line of thinking a bit.

It seemed Albrecht was not the type to pay little heed to the Emperor’s whims.

Thus, he had all the less reason to be present at the palace that day.

“Did you happen to notice if anyone was with Albrecht while you talked with him? Excluding those who were with you.”

“I’m not sure. Aside from acquaintances, I can’t think of anyone… ”

Edgar was decent at remembering people, but that included an impression of Albrecht, leaving little room for others’ memories to stand out.

While he frowned and racked his brain for answers, Ariel interjected, resolutely naming one person.

“There was Lord Orman, father.”

“Orman, you say… Ludric Orman?”

“Yes, that’s right. When I first entered the Imperial Palace, I met with him before Marquis Bertus arrived.”

The name caught Yulken’s attention for a moment.

Ludric Orman had a very compliant personality, focused on his duties, which probably meant he had little interest in other matters.

Thus, he might not share much useful information, but it didn’t hurt to ask.

“Got it. I’ll see what I can do and ask Lord Ludric along with everyone else who met the Marquis that day.”

“Well, that’s a hefty weight to rely on. Is he likely to share anything?”

“You never know. Even if he didn’t hear directly from Albrecht, he might have some bit of gossip.”

In short, they were curious as to why Albrecht Bertus was present at the Imperial Palace that day.

If it were just a whim, then they could keep this gut feeling to themselves and hope for clarity in the future; if there were some other deep reason, they’d have to investigate further.

“I’m sorry. My inquiries might have caused you some trouble…”

“Don’t think of it that way. This is merely my own curiosity I want to satisfy.”

Yulken had always found Albrecht strange.

That was mostly on the negative side.

But he merely regarded it as a personal overreaction.

This time around it was just an opportunity to quench his own curiosity based on Edgar’s comments, and if he could also help his son-in-law and daughter in the process, then all the better.

“Just wait and see; trust me for a moment. I may look old, but I still have some power to wield.”

“Mother’s right. Even if I passed down the Head of the Family position, I’m not some has-been who’s out to pasture.”

“What a bother it is to put this on your shoulders.”

Feeling like he had gained something valuable, Edgar finally managed a sigh of relief.

Because it was Yulken’s confident assertion, he decided to put his trust in the man and wait patiently.

“Now that we’re done with the heavy stuff, tell me more. Has our daughter grown noticeably more beautiful for some reason…?”

“Mom!”

“……”

As usual, the closing remarks weren’t anything serious, but rather a humorous note to lighten the mood.